Enoughness

And during these times I can’t easily put my finger on what exactly is off.

It’s not an overwhelming feeling of discontent or a sense that something bad is about to happen, it’s simply a nagging feeling just under the surface.

One of the things I’ve learned that contributes to this feeling is the over-consumerism society we live in today.

I’m amazed at the number of self-storage places popping up around me. This tells me that people not only have too much stuff, they have so much stuff that they need to pay someone else to keep them for them and have to set up visiting hours in order to go see their stuff.

While I was home with my family over the holidays, my father and I usually discuss the books we’ve been reading. One of the greatest joys of my relationship with my dad is this type of conversation.

As one of our discussions progressed, my dad brought up this idea of “enoughness.”

And after thinking about the nagging feelings I get, the idea became clear.

We’re surrounded by a never ending environment aimed at consuming. And this environment is set within a world that teaches scarcity.

The trouble with scarcity is that you operate under the principle that resources are limited and that you can never truly have enough. It’s like you’d better work as hard as you can to ensure that you don’t lose out to someone else.

Unfortunately, this is the default belief for many people.

Our challenge: to be more self-aware and rise above it.

In order to become self-aware, it helps to know exactly what enoughness looks like for you.

So answer this question:

How much do you really need to a) meet your basic needs, and b) do the things you enjoy?

Have you ever struggled with enoughness?

On the flip side, have you experienced the satisfaction of enough?

The pure, simple pleasure of having all you need and the sweet sense of contentment?

When you learn how to be content, you increase your capacity to enjoy.

To the naked, untrained eye, it appears that more consumption would increase contentment but this is not the case at all. The real answer is enoughness; adequate provisions to live in modest comfort.

So … all we need is … enough.

Living with this idea of enoughness means you are consuming to meet your basic needs without limiting your capacity to enjoy.

Your capacity for enjoyment can grow at all times, and in every situation.

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About Corey

Corey is the main voice behind Simple Marriage and a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor. He has a Ph.D. in Family Therapy and maintains a private practice working with individuals and couples in McKinney, TX.